Nine Reservists, most from the 433rd Airlift Wing at Lackland AFB, Tex., stepped up to coordinate the unprecedented aeromedical evacuation efforts following Hurricane Katrina. The Air Force Reserve Command personnel shepherded 125 military and civilian airplanes, making runs from New Orleans to San Antonio. The medevac controllers cycled medical teams of active, Guard, and Reserve personnel from around the country on the flights, which transported an estimated 9,788 medical evacuees. Initially reservists handled 98 percent of the Hurricane Katrina aeromedical evacuations. By Sept. 7, the reserve share was 80 percent, largely because most of the work was done.
The Air Force plans to finalize an acquisition strategy for its new Looking Glass nuclear command, control, and communications program by September—part of a prelude to a significant increase in the service’s NC3 spending in the coming years.